Minnow rigs are extremely popular for stream fishing and for trolling. A minnow rig that is effective holds a live minnow in a natural position, the minnow being hooked in such a way that a game fish attempting to swallow the minnow is hooked.
Conventional minnow rigs on the market usually comprise a treble hook at a free end of the line with a single hook spaced a predetermined distance along the line from the treble hook and securely tied to the line (at the factory) by a friction knot that secures the single hook shank and the line so as to hold the minnow in position. Such conventional rigs are not readily adaptable to minnows of different size, and may cause the minnow to be doubled up, rendering it useless as effective bait. Additionally, the snagging of a hook also can cause movement of the single hook with respect to the treble hook, killing the minnow or otherwise rendering it ineffective as bait. Other commercially available minnow rigs have similar problems associated therewith, the rigs either being too bulky or being arranged in such a way that they often result in the minnow being killed or held in an unnatural position.
When fishing with minnow rigs, and in other situations where it is desirable to hook a sinker in a line and adjust its position along the line, it is often difficult with conventional arrangements to properly adjust the sinker position along the line, and to insert the sinker into operative position with the line once the minnow rig, or other hook, has been connected to the line end.
According to the present invention, a minnow rig is provided that generally eliminates the drawbacks inherent in prior art commercially available minnow rigs, and a sinker attachment for a line for use with minnow rigs, or other hooks, is provided which allows for attachment of the sinker in the line even after the minnow rig or hook have been connected to the line, and allows ready adjustment of the sinker position along the line.
According to the present invention, a fishing rig assembly is provided comprising a hook; a first line; means formed on the hook for operative connection to the first line, and end of the first line connected to the hook; a sinker attachment means for operatively attaching a sinker to the first line for adjustment along the first line, the sinker attachment means consisting of an integral body including a generally T-shaped projection, the generally T-shaped projection consisting of a first portion operatively connected to the body portion, a second enlarged portion spaced from the body portion, and a third portion interconnecting the second large portion to the body portion, first and second surface manifestations formed on either side of the generally T-shaped projection and in line with each other and the generally T-shaped projection, the surface manifestations and the projection being spaced a fixed predetermined distance apart; a sinker; a second line operatively connected to the sinker at one end thereof and looped at the other end thereof, the looped end disposed wrapped around the generally T-shaped projection; and the first line received by the first and second surface manifestations and wrapped around the generally T-shaped projection. Preferably, the sinker attachment means comprises a wire bent so that eyelets are formed as the first and second surface manifestations, and other bent portions forming the T-shaped projection, the eyelets formed so that a middle portion of the first line may be moved from exterior each eyelet to being complete received thereby, and the third portion of the generally T-shaped projection being relatively short compared to the thickness of the first and second lines, so that the first line and the second line looped end will be tightly frictionally engaged by both the first and second portions of the generally T-shaped projection when the lines are wrapped around the generally T-shaped projection. Preferably, the wire portions forming the eyelets and the generally T-shaped projection are disposed in a common plane.
The hook of the assembly of the present invention preferably comprises part of a minnow rig. The minnow rig includes a first hook adapted to be disposed in a tail portion of a live minnow, a second hook adapted to be disposed in a head portion of a live minnow, and a single line. The first hook includes a portion for connection to a free end of the line, and the rig additionally comprises means integrally connected to the second hook for effecting connection of the single line to the second hook by friction wrapping for holding the second hook in a predetermined fixed relative position with respect to the first hook along the line. The term "friction wrapping" as used in the present specification and claims refers to knotless connection of a line to a structure by the line.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide an improved fishing rig assembly. This and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention, and from the appended claims.